2011-02-04

Wikipedia Books On Medicine: A Doctor's Approach

Two days ago, the Journal of Medical Internet Research published a paper reviewing studies quality of Medicine articles on Wikipedia, and urging the medical community to contribute to the online encyclopedia (see Wikipedia: A Key Tool for Global Public Health Promotion). We have been noticing for some time that there is a high number of people actually producing books with Wikipedia content on the subject of medicine. So we dug a little further and asked some of those editors to give us their insight as to why and how they use the book tool in Wikipedia to produce offline material, focusing on medicine, but also on many other topics.

Our first respondent is John D. Current, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology and Director, SRNA Clinical Program, who tells about his experience with PediaPress and the book tool. He made a book on the topic of "Physics Related to Anesthesia" which he distributed as reading material to his students for a lecture he was giving. Here are his answers to our interview.

PediaPress: How did You get to know PediaPress and its service?

John Current: I have been a contributor to Wikipedia, which necessitated frequent visits to their website. They prominently displayed the availability of the PediaPress services. When I had the need to print some course materials for my lectures I gave PediaPress a try.

PP: What was the first book You created?

JC: My first book on PediaPress was "Physics Related to Anesthesia." I was giving a lecture on this subject to a group of anesthesiology residents and medical students. In preparation, I sought material to help improve their background in physics and found that many of the Wikipedia articles were quite relevant, so I compiled this material in book form for their benefit.

PP: You have ordered, among others, your book "Physics Related to Anesthesia" 29 times and created a great series on "Pharmacology for Anesthetists". Do you feel that the quality of Wikipedia articles is good in that topic?

JC: I felt the quality of the physics articles were quite excellent. I have received many favorable comments about that material. I consider the PDF's to be quite beautiful.

PP: Are there any other topics in Wikipedia you would consider making books about?

JC: Yes, I have several interests that may result in books. I consider the articles in Wikipedia on combat aircraft to be particularly outstanding. I have edited a book on the topic "American Warplanes of World War II" , which turned out very well and I bought to give as Christmas gifts to my friends with similar interests.

PP: Are the books You created for you? For others? How do you (plan to) use the books (in what context?)

JC: Most of the books I'm compiling are meant as supplements to my lectures on anesthesiology given to anesthesiology residents, medical students and nurses in training. My philosophy is that college and medical textbooks are too expensive and I desire to make materials available to the students as cheaply as possible. I see collaborative efforts like Wikipedia to be a potential route to more inexpensive course materials.

PP: How do other people react to the books you create?

JC: I have received nothing but favorable comments from my students and colleagues. Most remark about the quality of the printing and the overall appearance of the books.

PP: Is there anything that you wish PediaPress would offer on top of the actual service proposed?

JC: I would like to be able to place additional material into these books to supplement the materials I am able to glean from Wikipedia. I would also like to be able to revise my books in the PediaPress catalog to at least correct typographical and other errors. Thanks for providing a valuable service.

We also asked Dr. Reinhard G. Runkel, Chief medical Anesthesiologist in Germany as well as a writer and editor of medical textbooks, to answer our interview [1]. He has made books about Medicine, but also other topics, and would have many ideas to create books in a format that would fit in a lab's coat pocket. An idea to pursue?

PP: You have ordered more than 40 Books through the PediaPress service. Among them books about Football, Politics and Economics, and Medicine. Do you feel that the quality of Wikipedia articles is good in those topics?

RR: Absolutely – where I doubt competence, I sort out. Otherwise, I add facts with the help of scientific citations.

PP: Are there any other topics in Wikipedia you would consider making books about?

RR: A whole lot - there is not limit put on creativity. I get suggestions from colleagues and friends.

PP: Are the books You created for You? For others? How do you (plan to) use the books (in what context?)

RR: 1) as reference books for myself and my colleagues (Medicine)

2) as surprise/present for friends, whose interests I know or could find out about.

PP: How do other people react to the books you create?

RR:"Where do you find the time?" is the question I hear most often. The effort is actually not so much of an effort. On the contrary, I have a lot of fun putting the books together and I learn a whole lot while doing so, especially with the English texts.

PP: Is there anything that you wish PediaPress would offer on top of the actual service proposed?

RR: The layout is great, hard covers and color content are an option that turned out very well. I would find it great to have a book format that fits in a lab coat's pocket (125x97mm), with smaller font size. I'd come up with many ideas for this format.

A big thank you to both Dr Current and Dr Runkel, it is always extremely interesting to get insight about how Wikipedia material can be used and distributed offline. If you have a Wikipedia book experience you would like to share, don't hesitate to contact us to tell it!

[1] note: the interview was conducted in German and translated into English